Introverted Networking
 | Business networking - Understanding the importance of networking and going out into the real
world and doing it are two entirely different things. Most people know
that networking can be incredibly powerful in helping them reach their
goals, but don’t follow through with the actions that can build that
network.
Why? For the introverted, the thought of meeting new people in an unusual setting or calling them up out of the blue is completely nerve racking. Fear of rejection and embarrassment, and questions of self-confidence loom over them ominously. Everyone feels these emotions when in a room full of people they don’t know. I’d like to share with you the three things that have helped me to overcome my fears while networking. 1. Sell yourself to yourself first. There is a great scene in the movie Boiler Room where a more experienced stock broker is lecturing a younger broker on cold calling: “A sale is made on every call you make. Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you a reason he can’t.” The same principle is true when we focus only on the negative outcomes that could happen. We tell ourselves that networking is embarrassing, that we’re going to get laughed out of the room, that we have no right to be mixing with these other successful people. We have to sell ourselves the fact that networking is about connecting with people who are just like us: looking for new people to work with and find solutions that are mutually beneficial. Business networking 2. Control what you focus on. Connected with the point above is a little exercise that I use to control the movie that runs through my head when I get a little nervous and my self-confidence decides to take off without me. When you catch yourself thinking you’re out of your depth, do the following steps: - Focus on the discouraging movie that is currently playing in your head. Remove the colour from the picture so that it becomes black and white. Then, shrink the picture until it disappears in the distance. Repeat this process until the negative move you have running in your head loses it’s potency. - Next, replace your negative thoughts with empowering ones. See yourself connecting with people with ease, smiling and shaking hands, having meaningful conversations and arranging times to catch up in the future. Make the image bright with colours, zoom in so the picture is huge and directly in front of you. Repeat until that feeling of confidence returns. Those two steps may sound a little “woo woo” at first, but they have worked dozens of times for me. Like the old saying goes, you get what you focus on. So focus on what you want. 3. Start small. Start with one call to someone you’ve wanted to reach out to. Go to a small local networking meeting. Whatever your fist step, make it manageable. The most important thing is to begin your adventures in networking. Once you’ve proven to yourself that you’ve beaten your fear of networking, work your way to bigger events and more difficult people to get a hold of. Business networking |
